Government

A major debate occurred over how China should be governed in the Zhou dynasty . The feudal system gave an advantage to a class of powerful clan rulers whose standing posed a threat to the king. If the clan rulers grew too strong, they could come together and defy the king, refusing to pay tribute or to assemble an army when commanded. Giving the clan rulers enough power to keep them happy, while at the same time keeping them weak enough not to threaten his own position, called for a tricky balancing act on the part of the king. By around the seventh century BC, this tense situation had created a social and political crisis.

Feudal system